Answering and Discussing All Mission Trip Questions

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One of my very best friends, Ellen Keathley, decided to take a huge leap of faith for next semester.
She has decided to spend 5 months on an overseas mission trip, and I was so proud and impressed that I knew this would be something perfect to share with you all.

Here is a little bit about her story:

ME: Tell us about what you are doing next semester.
ELLEN: I am taking a semester off and going on a 5 month long mission trip in the fall. It is through a program called YWAM, which stands for Youth With A Mission. The first half of the trip I will be spending in New Zealand doing a sort of training camp to get me ready for the other half which will be somewhere in the South Pacific most likely. This trip has a medical focus, so I will get to provide medical treatment to the people in the islands that I go to during the second half. This is perfect for me, for I am a nursing major.

ME: Have you had any previous experience with mission work?
ELLEN: I have been on one mission trip before to the Dominican Republic this past summer. We worked there in the city; the guys built a bridge and the girls put on VBS for about 90 kids or so. We stayed at a camp for troubled teens as well, and when we got finished with our work during the day, we would help them too. Needless to say, it was hands down one of the best weeks of my life.

ME: Was it your work in the Dominican Republic that made you want to do a bigger trip like the YWAM trip?
ELLEN: I think that it was definitely part of it; I grew so much being in the Dominican Republic for just two weeks. I know that I will grow exponentially more by being in New Zealand for five months.

ME: What other reasons helped you decide to do this trip?
ELLEN: I just felt like I was being called to do something. Somehow everything just fell right into place; whether it was finding out that family friends had been on the same trip that I am going on or deciding that New Zealand was the trip for me and coincidentally my roommate is from there. Everything just somehow seemed to work out.

ME: Now that you know that you are going to New Zealand, how do you feel?
ELLEN: I am definitely nervous. It is starting to hit me that I really am going, but at the same time it is such an excited nervous too. I am looking forward to see what will happen, how things will play out and how God will use my faith.

I also cannot wait to see how God uses Ellen on her trip, and though I will miss her more than anything, I am incredibly proud of what she is doing. Keep her in your prayers!
What do you think about Ellen’s leap of faith?